Christmas Time in Kagutsuchi!
by MelodiousAlchemist
Summary: It's Christmas time in Kagutsuchi, and everyone is gathered together to celebrate the special holiday. But, with everyone all in one place, will everything go down peacefully? Rated T for cursing


Today was a very special day in Kagutsuchi. The streets were barren of people, and the many lights hung from the edges of roofs as they let out their sparkles of color. Fresh snow covered the ground and glistened from the lights overhead, and all was quiet in Orient Town. All that is, but one clinic. Inside of this clinic, many people conversed together and partook in a multitude of beverages and other assorted food and drink items. To be completely honest, this was pretty much the only time of year where everyone could gather together and all grudges could be forgotten. Well, for the most part that is.

"Boobie Lady! Where are your meat buns, meow?! Tao didn't come all this way just to sit here and not have some of your delicious meat buns!" the female Kaka whined as she clung to Litchi's leg. "Taokaka, get off of me! I can't work with you constantly clinging to me like that!" Litchi exclaimed as she bent down and wrenched Tao's paws off of her leg. "They'll be done soon, Tao. I promise," she continued as she went back to working on her famous buns. Tao gave a small meow of sorrow, and then padded off to find someone else to amuse herself with.

"Hey! It's Green Guy!" Tao exclaimed as she noticed the green-haired man standing in the corner of the room. This immediately caught his attention, and he glared at the female Kaka. "You stay over there, you damn cat. Waaaaay over there, away from me…" he muttered heinously. Tao gave a small meow, and then noticed Shizuka standing beside him. "And look who else is here! It's Pretty Lady!" she exclaimed as she literally leapt beside her. "Ugh, goddamn cat…" Shizuka heard Hazama growl as he did his best to move himself away from Toakaka.

Tao's ears flicked a bit, and her tail swished back and forth happily as she clung to Shizuka's arm. "When did you guys get here, meow? Tao didn't see you guys come inside!" Tao asked as she tilted her head a bit. Shizuka gave her a soft smile, and gently rubbed her head. "We got here a while ago, Tao. We don't really like to draw attention," she replied. Tao began to play with Shizuka's hair a bit, gently batting it with her paws, and then asked, "So, is this the first time you and Green Guy have been to Boobie Lady's party?" Shizuka thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, come to think of it. I never even knew Litchi threw one of these parties, let alone that pretty much everyone came to it."

Taokaka then looked somewhere in the crowd, obviously seeing something that Shizuka couldn't see. "Hold on, Pretty Lady! Tao thinks she found Torakaka!" she exclaimed as she ran off into the crowd of people. "God, that damn cat… she really doesn't have a brain…" Shizuka looked to her left at her partner, and gave a soft laugh. "Calm down, Hazama. You know I'm just as allergic to them as you are. It's not like she was trying to eat you…" This immediately earned a quick look of fear from him, and he glanced over at her. "D-don't even bring that up again. God. That was like hell unleashed itself on me," he muttered as he sunk back against the wall.

Shizuka giggled quietly, and then moved herself beside him. "Do you want anything? You haven't even bothered to converse with anyone or even eat anything…" she said quietly. "Well, that's because pretty much everyone in here hates me in one way or another," Hazama replied as he stared off into the crowd of people. "Well… then how about we try to make them hate you a little less?" Shizuka replied as she grabbed his hand and pulled him off the wall. "H-hey! I really don't…" He stopped and sighed as he realized she could not be swayed from her current goal, and followed her into the crowd of people.

"Hey! Kokonoe!" Shizuka called as she saw her pink-haired Beastkin friend. Kokonoe raised her eyebrow as she saw her, and her glare suddenly turned murderous. "Shizuka… what the hell is that bastard doing here?" Kokonoe growled as her tails flicked back and forth in agitation. Shizuka gave a quiet sigh, and then looked at Hazama. "Kokonoe, I would like you to try and have a normal conversation with him, okay?" "Hah! That's not gonna happen. Give me five seconds, Shizzy. That's all it takes for me to want to snap his goddamn neck," Kokonoe replied as she continued to glare at the green-haired man.

Shizuka took a firm grip on Kokonoe's shoulders, and she stared at her. "Listen to me. I know for a fact you've pretty much been stalking me. And knowing that, I also know that you've seen all that he's done for me. So, why is it that you can't even give him a chance?" she asked quietly. Kokonoe looked at her for a moment, and then gave a reluctant sigh. "Fine, fine. I will do my best to… talk… to him…" she muttered as she shot Hazama an evil glance. Shizuka smiled, and then pulled Hazama in front of Kokonoe. "Now, you two play nice. I'll be right back," she said as she walked off somewhere else in the crowd.

"Shizuka! There you are!" Shizuka looked to her right, only to be nearly thrown to the ground as Zara leapt on her. "Z-Zara! I didn't know you were here too…!" Shizuka exclaimed as she smiled and looked at her friend. "Hell yeah! This is only the biggest party of the year! And plus, we get and give away stuff too! I wouldn't ever miss this party!" she replied as she grinned. Shizuka laughed quietly, and gently rubbed her head. "Yep, that sounds like you, Zara. Do you know when we get to give our gifts to people?" she asked as she tilted her head.

Zara tapped her chin with her index finger, and then pursed her lips. "Well, Litchi usually likes to do that around eleven. That way we can get done by about twelve thirty, and then do whatever else we want," she replied. Shizuka nodded, and then looked outside. "Well, that gives us about thirty minutes before we start, right?" Zara nodded, and then blinked. "Hey! I just noticed that Captain Hazama isn't with you! Where the hell is he?" she asked as she looked around. "Well, hopefully he's still managing to get along with Kokonoe. But, don't worry, Zara. We came here together," she replied. Zara nodded, and then folded her arms across her chest. "How long has it been now, Shizzy? Two years?" Shizuka nodded. "Yeah. Two years, 7 months, and 23 days." Zara stared at her, and then shook her head. "Ugh, you really keep it down to the days?" she muttered as she slowly walked off.

Shizuka giggled, and then weaved her way back through the crowd to find her partner. Luckily, he was still managing to converse peacefully with Kokonoe, and she sighed in relief. "So, I see you two managed to get along?" she asked as she walked beside them. Kokonoe scoffed, and placed one of her candies into her mouth. "You have no goddamn idea how hard it was, Shizuka…" Hazama said nothing, and Shizuka clung to his arm. "Anything you wish to say, Terumi?" Kokonoe asked as a small grin crossed her lips. He glanced down at her, and then looked away. "Nope. Not a damn thing," he replied coldly.

Shizuka gave a small sigh, and then gently tugged on Hazama's arm. "Come on… maybe we can go find someone else…" she said as she dragged him off somewhere else. Kokonoe watched them leave, and she gave a small sigh. "Even a genius like myself can't deny that I see evidence of change…"

Shizuka continued to drag Hazama along, until she accidentally ran into a silver-haired man. "Huh? What the hell?" he muttered as he turned around to look at her. Shizuka stared at him, and his eyes wandered from her, to the man behind her. "Terumi? What the hell? What are you doing here?" he asked as his eyes narrowed. Shizuka clung to Hazama's arm again, and the man's lips slowly formed into a grin. "Oh my God. Are you serious? Wow, Terumi, I didn't think you could ever find someone who wouldn't scream in terror and run away," the man said as he stared at Shizuka. Hazama immediately shot him an evil glare, and he gave a deep sigh. "Come on then, Rags. You wanna go? I'll gladly take that other arm of yours!" he exclaimed as he gave a sadistic grin. The man took a step back, and he reached behind his back to take a tight grip on the hilt of his sword.

He didn't move for a second, and then sighed. "Not today, Terumi. I'm not in the mood, plus I don't think you'd wanna make a bad impression on your girlfriend over there," he muttered as he took a sip of the drink he now had in his hand. Terumi was about to retort with some sort of profanity, no doubt, when he was interrupted by Litchi. "Alright, I've finished with my main delicacy! You guys know what that means!" she exclaimed as she carried several large trays filled to the brim with her famous meat buns into the room.

Shizuka looked around, and then noticed everyone gathering around her steaming delicacies. "Oh! It must be eleven! Come on Hazie!" she exclaimed as she dragged him to the front of the now circular formation around Litchi's main dish. She sat down, dragging him down with her, and she gave a very happy smile as she watched the others sit down as well. She noticed Tao was sitting beside Litchi, and every now and then Tao would reach her paw out in an attempt to nab a mat bun, only to have it slapped by Litchi.

Once everyone has quieted down, Litchi rose to her feet and gave a soft smile as she glanced at everyone in her clinic. "Greetings everyone, and merry Christmas. I hope every one of you had a wonderful year, and it's great that each and every one of you took the time to come together on this special evening. This is always the one night of the year where everyone can come together without issue, without conflict, and without sorrow or worry. And, this year, we have two new editions to the family for the first time," she said as she looked down at Shizuka and Hazama.

Everyone looked at them for a moment, and Litchi gently placed her hand upon Shizuka's head. "And, let's make sure that we treat both of them as if they've been here the whole time. Even if we thought one in particular would never be here. But, that just shows that anyone can change. Another miracle and wonder of the world. So, without further ado, shall we begin?" Litchi reached in front of her and took one of her meat buns from the pile. "You all know the tradition, but I shall explain the way it works as I do every year. I shall hand each one of you one of these, one at a time. As I hand one to you, you shall stand up and show your gift. When you do, you will give a short explanation as to why you got the gift that you did, and then reveal who it's for. Remember, one gift from one person each. Then, at the end, I have a special surprise for each and every one of you."

Litchi then handed a meat bun to the eagerly awaiting Taokaka, and she immediately shoved the whole thing into her mouth. After doing so, she stood up and took a small box from beside her. "Well, Tao has always wanted to give this to Torakaka, but she thought it would be more special if she waited until this part of the year! Tao got this for Torakaka because she's always been there for Tao, through every snack and every meat bun that Tao has devoured. So, Torakaka, this is for you!" she exclaimed as she gracefully tossed the small box through the air to have it caught by her female Kaka companion.

A few moments passed, and Torakaka was now in possession of a small, fluffy looking ornament that resembled a bunny which Tao referred to as, "Bouncy." Litchi then took another meat bun from the pile, and handed it to Kokonoe. Kokonoe gave a small sigh, and then removed her candy from her mouth to take a small bite of her bun. "Alright, I had a really tough decision to make this year, I'll admit. But, seeing as how I can only give one gift, I decided to give it to the person who has always been loyal to me. You've always been there, and always dealt with the shit I make you do on a daily basis almost without argument. You always put me in my place if I need to be, and you're overall just a very great companion to have. Tager, this is for you," she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a remote control.

She pressed a button on it, and a small whizzing sound came from behind her as a mini-Tager robot flew through the air and made its way towards the real one. "Consider it my gift to you, Tager. Feel free to play with it whenever you have some free time. Whoops, if I ever let you have any!" she exclaimed as she gave a somewhat evil chuckle. Tager gave a low sigh, and rubbed his forehead with his index finger and thumb. "Ugh, she always does that…" he muttered as he looked at the small mini-him in his hand.

Litchi then began to make her way around the circle, handing one meat bun to each person and then watching as they explained their gift and whatnot. Shizuka took great interest in who got who what, especially since a lot of these people didn't seem like the giving type. She then noticed Litchi was holding out a meat bun to her, and she realized it was her turn. She stood up and took a small bite of her bun, and then cleared her throat. "Well, seeing as how this is my first year here, I didn't realize that we could only give one gift. So, I don't think Litchi would mind if I broke the rules, right?" she asked as she glanced over at the female nurse.

Litchi gave a small nod, and Shizuka cleared her throat once again. "Well, this first gift is for someone that I've come to know and love. We met on a very odd circumstance, but in my opinion, it was that odd circumstance that allowed me to meet someone as special as her. She helped me out not only on that one occasion, but on many others as well. I honestly don't know what would have happened if she hadn't been there for me. So, Zara, this is my gift to you," she said as she took a small box from inside of her pocket. Zara reached her hand out and took it from her, and very slowly opened it to reveal the pendant that Shizuka usually wore around her neck. Zara immediately looked up at her once she realized what it was, and Shizuka gave her a gentle smile. "Be sure to take good care of it for me. Mom and dad would have wanted it to be you if they ever got the chance to meet you."

She watched as Zara carefully placed the necklace around her neck, and then sighed contently. "And now for my other gift. This one is for someone whom I'm quite certain each and every one of you know. But, I've noticed that this entire time, this person has yet to receive one thing. But, this person has changed my entire life. They taught my so many lessons that I can't even begin to describe them all. They taught me that I need to always be myself, and that I can't always let everything affect me. They taught me that I can never give up if I set my mind to something, and that's what I did to get where we are now. So, Hazama, this one is for you," she said as she gently took his hand and placed something inside of it.

Hazama opened his hand, revealing a ring that was very similar to the one he had given her when they first met. "It's made entirely of platinum. The scales were lined with white gold, and the eyes are sapphires," Shizuka explained as she took it and placed it on his finger. "Expensive as hell… but perhaps it will show just how much you mean to me," she said as she sat down beside him again. "Well, that's it. All done!" Litchi shot a stern glare at the silver-haired man, and folded her arms across her chest. "Ragna the Bloodedge, you sit your little butt right back down. We have one more to do," she commanded sternly.

"Hah! You honestly think Terumi, _**Terumi**_, got someone something?" Ragna retorted as he raised his eyebrow. "Ragna." Ragna looked behind him to see the she-vampire, Rachel, staring at him with eyes like sharpened steel. "I do believe Terumi has something to give, do you not?" she asked as she glanced over at him. Hazama looked at her for a moment, and then sighed as he stood up. "Yes, Raggy. I do indeed have something to give, so I would suggest you sit down." Ragna looked completely shocked, and slowly took his place back on the floor. Hazama fixed his tie, and then put his hand into his pocket.

"I'm quite sure you all know who I am, and I'm also quite sure you're all shocked that I'm actually standing up to talk about what I'm giving someone. But, the vampire is right. I do indeed have something to give, and I can't even begin to describe why I want to give it. Two and a half years ago, I never expected that I would end up where I am currently. I never expected a future like this. A future that someone like myself could have. And I certainly never expected to ever meet someone like I did those two years ago. Every event that has taken place since then has literally molded me from one thing into another. So, my gift is going to the person that has stood beside me since the moment she met me. Shizuka, this is for you," he said as he pulled a tiny, two-pieced hinged box from his pocket and held it out to her.

Shizuka stared at the black velvet-covered box he was holding out to her, and she felt her face turn red. "O-oh… H-Hazama… you didn't…" "Just take it, Shizuka…" he interrupted as he placed it in her hand and leaned down to place a soft kiss upon her forehead. She slowly opened the box, revealing a pair of earrings. "They're sapphires outlined in diamonds… I guess you're not the only one who thinks expensive," he said quietly as he glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck. Shizuka stared at the glistening jewelry before her, and she smiled. "I love them, Hazama. They're beautiful," she replied as she closed the box slowly and carefully.

Litchi waited for a moment, and then opened her arms. "Alright, everyone! Feel free to help yourselves to the rest of the meat buns!" Not a split second after she said that, Taokaka dove forward and began gorging herself on the pastries in front of her. Litchi gave a small smile, and shook her head. Shizuka and Hazama rose to their feet, and Shizuka gently clung to his arm. "Hey, Hazama, look…" Hazama's attention turned to the window, which was being illuminated by a multitude of bright colors. Loud, thunderous explosions followed each light, and Shizuka smiled. "Fireworks! That must have been Litchi's surprise!" she exclaimed as she dragged Hazama outside into the cold.

They both stood and watched the blazing show of colors, the others inside soon following their lead. Hazama glanced down at Shizuka, seeing her bright smile as her face was illuminated with the different colors of the fireworks. He gave a quiet sigh, and then gently grabbed her hand."Shizuka, come with me," he said as he began walking off, pulling her along behind him. He took her to a secluded place above Litchi's home, and proceeded to pull her against his body.

Shizuka blushed a bit, and softly laid her head upon his chest as she held him close to her. They continued to watch the fireworks together, and then Shizuka felt his hand be placed on her head. "Shizuka… that wasn't the only gift I intended to give you tonight…" Shizuka looked up at him, and saw him reach inside of his coat pocket. He pulled out another box, the same size and shape as the other one, only it was red velvet instead of black. He gently took her hand which had the snake ring he had given her when they first met, and slowly slid it off her finger. "W-what are you doing?" she asked as she watched him put it into his pocket. Hazama shook his head, and then slowly opened the box to reveal a shining, silver ring.

Shizuka had to cover her mouth to keep from squeaking, and she stared at the ring in front of her. "Shizuka… will you take it…?" Shizuka couldn't find her words. She nodded and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace, tears of happiness brimming her eyes. Hazama held her against him, and gently laid his chin on top of her head.

"_**My whole life, I wanted nothing more than to see all the possibilities of the world. But, not once did I ever expect to be part of one of them. Not like this anyway. But, now that I think about it, if I'm truly honest with myself, I wouldn't want it any other way." **_


End file.
